News

*7/31/14: Thanks to all who attended the recent "Data Processing" webinar! To access the slides and Q&A from this webinar, please click here.

*7/1/14: Thanks to all who attended the recent webinar related to using MERS syndrome definitions. To review the guidance and obtain the syndrome files, please visit the MERS folder in the Library here.

*5/29/14: Thanks to all who attended yesterday's "Data Quality Checks and Assurance" webinar! To view a recording of this webinar and access the slides, please click here.

*4/29/14: Thanks to all who attended yesterday's "Heat-related Illness Surveillance" webinar! To view a recording of this webinar and access the slides, please click here.

*4/2/14: Thanks to all who attended the recent "The Kansas Experience, Health Information Exchanges, and Onboarding" webinar! To view a recording of this webinar and access the slides, please click here.

* If you wish to be notified of future updates and postings please provide your contact information.

Featured Question

What do I need to do to start participating in BioSense 2.0?

The first step in participating is completing a Data Use Agreement (DUA) with ASTHO. Under cooperative agreement with CDC, ASTHO hosts the BioSense 2.0 environment and facilitates the BioSense 2.0 Governance. Please contact Scott Gordon (SGordon@astho.org) at ASTHO to obtain a DUA to begin the process.

Any views or opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or any other entity of the United States government. Furthermore, the use of any product names, trade names, images, or commercial sources is for identification purposes only, and does not imply endorsement or government sanction by (CDC), (HHS), or any other entity of the United States government.

Hospital Outreach and Data Provider Information

What special hardware/software will our hospitals need to transmit the data to the new BioSense?The BioSense 2.0 team is working to reduce the need for any special hardware or software requirements for hospitals and health departments.

BioSense 2.0 is designed to make it easy for hospitals and health departments to share data. State health departments can direct their hospitals to report data directly to them, i.e. in an existing system, so that the state/local health department can pre-process (filter, de-identify, etc.) the data and then forward data to the BioSense 2.0 environment. Or they can direct their hospitals to send data directly to the secure space they own in the BioSense 2.0 environment where they will be labeled as state-owned data until the jurisdiction decides how much and what type of data to share.

A number of transport mechanisms are supported within the BioSense 2.0 environment. Data can be sent using HTTPS, sFTP, Mirth, VPN, PHIN MS, and NwHIN Direct and Connect. In addition, BioSense 2.0 can accept HL7, CSV, or flat file messages. The BioSense 2.0 team will also work with EHR vendors to openly share information so that vendors can integrate reporting capabilities into their offerings.

Does a hospital or provider need to sign a Data Use Agreement (DUA) with the ASTHO or CDC also? A hospital or provider does not need to sign a DUA with ASTHO or CDC, but do indeed need to sign some type of agreement with the participating state or local jurisdiction as specified in the DUA between the jurisdiction and ASTHO. A sample DUA has been developed in order to assist with this requirement, or another type of agreement already in place or developed by the jurisdiction may be used.

What materials can I distribute to hospitals and providers to get them to participate in BioSense 2.0?

Colleagues in Washington and Seattle/ King County have graciously shared some materials they developed and used with their facilities to discuss syndromic surveillance and Meaningful Use. Included here are: Hospital Outreach letter, Information gathering form/ agreement template, and frequently asked questions document. More information on Washington’s approach can be found on their website.